Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” has the classic mystery/horror storyline of ten strangers who are invited to a remote island, and find themselves trapped there by a storm, and dying one by one.

In this claustrophobic atmosphere, tension and fear builds as everyone falls under suspicion, and everyone has a secret in their past.

The Agatha Christie Theatre Company, under the direction of Joe Harmston, has great attention to period detail in the set and costumes (designed by Simon Scullion and Roberto Surace respectively), and captures the feeling of the time – the summer of 1939 – beautifully. Vera Claythorne (Kezia Burrows) as the only young female character has some outfits which are stunning, as well as a bit shocking to some of her more conventional fellow guests.

As with other Agatha Christie’s plays I’ve seen, there is only one set, which in this case adds to the feeling of claustrophobia and being trapped.

The cast including Paul Nicholas (Sir Lawrence Wargrave), Colin Buchanan (William Blore) Deborah Grant (Emily Brent) and Mark Wynter (Dr Armstrong) are all very experienced performers both on stage and screen, who bring their characters to life convincingly and are equally adept at the humorous aspects of the play as well as the more tense and dramatic moments. This depth of experience really shows in this production.

To me, the beauty of this type of play is that it keeps to the values of the time when it was originally written – it hasn’t been altered for modern audiences, there is no graphic violence or bad language, it is simply a perfect balance of excellent acting, a stylish set, and accurate period costumes which makes for a great evening’s entertainment.

And Then There Were None continues at the King’s Theatre until Saturday 31st October.

Review by Lisa Sibbald

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